Bottle.



. UNITE STATES GEORGE ELLIS ZEIVGLER, OF ECONOMY, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOTTLE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented March 24, 1908.

Application led December 20, 1907. Serial No. 407,310.

To all whom it may concern:

yLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Economy, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottles 3 and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is directed to that type of bottlesr having a grooved frangible neck that may be broken oif when it is desired to empty the contents; and the object of my improvement is to provide a construction of grooved frangible neck that will allow the cork to be inserted into the neck without expanding or pressing action upon the inner walls of the frangible end portion of the neck and thereby prevent the breaking of the neck at the groove in the operation of inserting the cork to itsseat below the groove.

In connection with the sealing cork for the bottle l provide an interior sealing shell for the cork but independent of it and adapted to engage the neck groove above the cork to lock the shell in the neck and have the function of a cutter in the groove to sever the shell containing end from the cork seating part of the neck when it is desired to expose the cork to extract it, as the breaking off ofthe end carries with it the shell. As the shell containing end of the neck is of greater diameter than the cork seating part the cork would be liable to be forced up into the shell by the pressure of the gases, and to prevent this the lower open end of the shell is provided with inwardstanding lips which overhang the end of cork so that the cork cannot enter the shell.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows in vertical section a bottle neck having my stopper sealing shell as a seal for the sto per. Fig. 2 is a like view showing the sea ing` shell partly inserted in the neck. Fig. 3 is a like view showing the stopper sealing neck-part having the sealing shell con taining partbroken olf leaving the corked bottle intact. Fig. 4 is a like view showing the sealing shell as a means of holding the cork against internal pressure. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same looking at its inner end.

The inner wall of the neck is of two diameters the division being about mediately of its length and the greatest diameter l, in its outer or end part, the purpose of which is to alloT the stopper 2, which, may be of cork, .to be dropped freely to its seat and tightened in the part 3, of least diameter. At the dividing line of these two diameters an an nular groove 4, is formed in the inner wall. The sealing shell 5, l prefer to make of steel quite thin like the shell of a cartridge closed at its outer end and having a length that when inserted in the neck, the inner open end of the shell will terminate at the groove. At its inner end the shell is formed with longitudinal cuts 6 6, forming a pair of locking claws one on each side of the shell and for this purpose the split part is formed with an outward bend or claw 7, which, when the shell is inserted to its sealing position, will be caused to spring into the groove and thus lock the shell in its seat and seal the stopper. The unequal diameters ofthe inner wall will give the wall of the neck an unequal thickness so that the inner diameter of the end part will be greater than the stopper seating part of the neck and it is this construction which gives a free way for the insertion of the stopper to a tight seat, the seating walls for that purpose being made slightly flaring. The importance of this construction is that the shell sealing part of the neck is not subjected to any interior expanding strain in driving the stopper, and which would be liable to cause the neck to split or break at the groove which reduces the thickness of the wall. I prefer to make the groove continuous so that the claws will effect an engagement therewith at any point and for this purpose each claw has the function of alight spring and is formed with a slightly upward bevel so that in inserting the shell and pressing the beveled surface of the claws upon the edge of the mouth of the bottle it will cause the claws to spring inward so that their points will rest under slight pressure against the in ner wall and on reaching the groove spring therein and thus lock the shell.

I prefer to make each claw a little longer than the depth of the groove and to terminate each in a point 8, which, resting against the bottom of the groove will on giving the shell a quick semi rotating movement, be caused to have the function of cutters to sever the shell containing end of the neck when it is desired to expose the cork to empty the bottle. This construction gives the advantage of preparing the bottle for the withdrawal of the cork at the time of emptying the bottle. It also gives the' advantage of using the cork until the bottle 1s empty, because in severing of the thin neck walls the thicker neck walls are left intact and the y cork becomes the seal.

The open end of the shell is formed with inward standing lips 9, at its edge between the split claws so that the lips will overhang the upper end of' the stopper and thereby prevent it from being forced from its seat by the inward pressure of gases resulting from the contents, because the normal diameter of the stopper is slightly less than the inner diameter of the sealing shell.

A suitable handle 10, is formed on the outer end ol the shell as a provision for giving it a to and fro rotating` movement in its sealing seat to sever the neck.

In closing the bottle the cork is dropped into the larger end ol' the neck without binding` contact with its walls and into its seat of less diameter wherein it is tightly driven below the groove. The shell is then inserted and it will be noted that its spring claws having no connection with the stopper easily yield so that its claws have only a slight pressure upon the inner walls of the neck in sliding the shell to the engagement of its claws with the groove.

I claim:

1. A bottle neck having its inner walls of unequal diameters separated by an annular groove the walls of least diameter flaring upward and terminating at said groove, in combination with a cork seated on the flaring walls below the groove, and a shell having cuts forming claws adapted to engage said groove and seated upon the neck-walls oi'f greatest diameter above the cork, and having a handle 'at its upper end, and the said claws terminating in cutting points, for the purpose stated. i

2. A bottle neck having its inner walls of unequal diameters separated by a groove the walls of least diameter flaring upward and terminating at said groove, in combination with a cork seated on the 'Haring walls below the groove, and a shell seated on the neck walls of greatest diameter above the cork and having cutter claws adapted to engage said groove, and a handle by which to rotate the shell, the said shell having inward turned lips overhanging the cork, for the purpose stated.

3. A bottle neck having its inner walls oi unequal diameters separated by an annular groove-the walls of least diameter flaring upward and terminating at said groove, in combination with a cork seated on the ilaring walls below the groove, and a shell seated on the neck-walls of greatest diameter above the cork, means integral with the shell ad apt-` ed to engage the groove, and means integral with the shell overhanging the upper end of the cork, to prevent it from being forced from its seat by inward pressure of gases resulting Vfrom the contents. A

In testimony whereof I have signed mv name to this specification in the presence ci two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE ELLIS ZEIGLER.

Witnesses A. E. H. JoHNsoN, ANNE B. JoHNsoN. 

